Research Associate Professor
Research
Pastore works on the development of engineering codes for the thermo-mechanics analysis of the nuclear fuel elements.
One primary area of his research is the development of models for the behavior of gaseous fission products applied in fuel performance codes. He has developed a physics-based engineering model for fission gas release and gaseous swelling in oxide fuel that is being used in multiple fuel performance codes, including the US DOE code BISON and the TRANSURANUS code of the European Commission.
Other areas of modeling he has been involved in include light water reactor fuel element behavior during design-basis accidents, oxide fuel behavior at high burnup, and advanced technology fuel and cladding materials.
Education
PhD cum laude in Science and Technology of Radiation, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, 2012. Dissertation: Modeling of Fission Gas Swelling and Release in Oxide Nuclear Fuel and Application to the Transuranus Code. Advisors: L. Luzzi (Polytechnic University of Milan), P. Van Uffelen (JRC-ITU).
MSc in Nuclear Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan, 2008.
BSc in Physics Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan, 2005.
Professional Service
- Member of the OECD/NEA Task Force on Nuclear Fuel Micromechanics (2017–present)
- Member of the OECD/NEA Task Force on Unit Mechanisms of Fission Gas Release (2015–2018)
- Member of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project on Fuel Modeling in Accident Conditions (FUMAC) (2014–2018)
- Member of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project on Fuel Modeling at Extended Burnup (FUMEX-III) (2008–2012)
- Topical Area Chair for the Nuclear Materials Conference (NuMat), Seattle, USA, October 2018
- Technical Program Chair for the ANS Embedded Topical Meeting on Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials for Next Generation Nuclear Reactors (NFSM), Philadelphia, USA, June 2018
- Member of the Scientific Committee for the Workshop on Research into Nuclear Fuel and Cladding in Europe (NuFuel), Lecco, Italy, September 2017
- Peer reviewer for scientific journals, including Journal of Nuclear Materials, Acta Materialia, Nuclear Engineering and Design, Nuclear Technology, Reliability Engineering and System Safety
- Peer reviewer of research proposals for the US DOE Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) and the INL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program
- Mentor of 5 student internships on nuclear fuel modeling at Idaho National Laboratory
Awards and Recognitions
- Nuclear Science and Technology Recognition Award, Idaho National Laboratory (2017)
- Three Exceptional Contributions Programs Awards, Idaho National Laboratory (2015, 2016, 2017)
- Copyright award for the BISON code, Idaho National Laboratory (2015)
- Outstanding Performance Award, Idaho National Laboratory (2014)
- Employee Special Recognition Award from INL Associate Laboratory Director (2013)
- PhD scholarship from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (2008)
Publications
Select publications. For a full list, visit Pastore's Google Scholar profile.
Z. Aly, A. Casagranda, G. Pastore, N.R. Brown, "Variance-based sensitivity analysis applied to hydrogen migration and redistribution model in Bison. Part I: Simulation of historical experiments," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 524, 90-100, 2019.
Z. Aly, A. Casagranda, G. Pastore, N.R. Brown, "Variance-based sensitivity analysis applied to the hydrogen migration and redistribution model in Bison. Part II: Uncertainty quantification and optimization," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 523, 478-489, 2019.
T. Barani, G. Pastore, D. Pizzocri, D.A. Andersson, C. Matthews, A. Alfonsi, K.A. Gamble, P. Van Uffelen, L. Luzzi, J.D. Hales, "Multiscale modeling of fission gas behavior in U3Si2 under LWR conditions," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 522, 97-110, 2019.
A.T. Motta, L. Capolungo, L.-Q. Chen, M.N. Cinbiz, M.R. Daymond, D.A. Koss, E. Lacroix, G. Pastore, P.A. Simon, M.R. Tonks, B.D. Wirth, M.A. Zikry, "Hydrogen in zirconium alloys: A review," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 518, 440-460, 2019.
T. Barani, D. Pizzocri, G. Pastore, L. Luzzi, J.D. Hales, "Isotropic softening model for fuel cracking in BISON," Nuclear Engineering and Design, 342, 257-263, 2019.
G. Pastore, D. Pizzocri, C. Rabiti, T. Barani, P. Van Uffelen, L. Luzzi, "An effective numerical algorithm for intra-granular fission gas release during non-equilibrium trapping and resolution," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 509, 687-699, 2018.
Y. Che, G. Pastore, J.D. Hales, K. Shirvan, "Modeling of Cr2O3-doped UO2 as a near-term accident tolerant fuel for LWRs using the BISON code," Nuclear Engineering and Design, 337, 271-278, 2018.
M. Tonks, D. Andersson, R. Devanathan, R. Dubourg, A. El-Azab, M. Freyss, F. Iglesias, K. Kulacsy, G. Pastore, S.R. Phillpot, M. Welland, "Unit mechanisms of fission gas release: Current understanding and future needs," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 504, 300-317, 2018.
D. Pizzocri, G. Pastore, T. Barani, A. Magni, L. Luzzi, P. Van Uffelen, S.A. Pitts, A. Alfonsi, J.D. Hales, "A model describing intra-granular fission gas behaviour in oxide fuel for advanced engineering tools," Journal of Nuclear Materials, 502, 323-330, 2018.
L. Luzzi, L. Cognini, D. Pizzocri, T. Barani, G. Pastore, A. Schubert, T. Wiss, P. Van Uffelen, "Helium diffusivity in oxide nuclear fuel: Critical data analysis and new correlations," Nuclear Engineering and Design, 330, 265-271, 2018.